Generally speaking, it's a good idea to hold your tongue while playing Survivor. There will always be outspoken people who will get on your nerves; the CBS casting department sees to that. It doesn't pay to be lippy and confrontational. (That is, unless you're two-time winner Sandra Diaz Twine, who can somehow get away with it.)

There was backstabbing and double-dealing. The two strongest men clashed over who would be the alpha male. The oldest tribe member became emotional that she was being marginalized. The young girls formed a clique. And the guy who actually cost his tribe immunity faced no repercussions for his failure to deliver during an important challenge.

Was he entertained while filming the show's 30th season, premiering on CBS on Wednesday night? Probst says that Survivor: Worlds Apart, which divides its 18 contestants by profession, will be one of the franchise's strongest seasons yet.

Survivor is one of those shows that rises and falls on its casting. When the contestants are interesting, we get a stellar season like last spring's Survivor: Cagayan. If the cast is bland, we get a mediocre season like last fall's Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. (Don't take our word for it; even host Jeff Probst called it a "frustrating" season.)

But Survivor is shockingly resilient. Now entering its 30th season, it has been around so long that this season's youngest contestant was in the first grade when the show premiered. She's now 22.

This season, producers have divided the 18 contestants of Survivor: Worlds Apart into three tribes based on socioeconomic status. There's a white collar tribe: professionals and executives. The blue collar tribe includes a cop, hairdresser and postal worker. The no-collar tribe is full of bohemians who sell coconuts or design jewelry.

Although Survivor: San Juan Del Sur was an uneven entry in the long-running reality show, the season finale had its share of blindsides and backstabbing – and, ultimately, a satisfying winner.

At the beginning of the final episode, it looked as though former Miss Michigan USA Jaclyn Schulz would be the next to go – and she would have been, had perennial CBS reality star Natalie Anderson not saved her with her immunity idol.

After Schulz won the final immunity challenge, the tribe voted out likable Louisiana firefighter Keith Nale, leaving an all-female final 3. At the final tribal council, Schulz, Anderson and Texas cheerleading coach Missy Payne answered the pointed questions of the jury.

There are good seasons of Survivor, and there are seasons that just never get off the ground. Survivor: San Juan Del Sur looked like it would be the latter, until a run of solid episodes near the end redeemed it.

After the first Blood Vs. Water was a critical and ratings success in 2013, the show returned to the same format this season – only to find that lightning hadn't struck twice.

Even Jeff Probst, Survivor's biggest cheerleader, acknowledges the struggle of San Juan Del Sur. "We came off of four fantastic seasons in a row: Philippines, Caramoan, the first Blood vs. Water and Cagayan, he says. "So this one just feels different, because it follows such great seasons. But it got a lot better as it went along."

But even middling seasons of Survivor can be fascinating, and the long-running CBS series remains the gold standard for competition reality shows. Here, Probst, 53, tells PEOPLE what went wrong with this season – and what went right.